Opinion

Tuesday, August 14, 2001

SquarelyPegged

By Peggy McCracken

Green plant

beats green pill

Prozac for the ladies now comes in pink and lavender instead of green.
Well, it's not called Prozac, but it's the same thing, with a new label.
It's supposed to relieve those pre-menstrual symptoms that we of the female
persuasion blame for our erratic behavior.

Eli Lilly has blitzed the airwaves with commercials for their new "miracle
pill" for women, dubbing it Sarafem. And it's marketed to women suffering
from premenstrual dysphoric disorder, a "disease" that is yet to be officially
sanctioned, according to one psychologist.

Dr. Bruce Levine, Ph.D., writes about the new drug in Commonsense
Rebellion: Debunking Psychiatry, Confronting Society., according to
a press release that came by fax last week. I haven't read the book, but
am quoting from the release.

Psychiatric drugs such as Prozac and Ritalin have been much in the news
in recent years. Prozac keeps some people functioning _ or drives then
nuts, depending on who you're talking to. Ritalin is the wonder drug that
allows kids with behavior problems to sit still and concentrate on their
lessons.

My grandson has taken Ritalin, and it supposedly worked for him. I think
he became addicted to it, because he begged for it in the summertime when
there was no need to sit still in school. Or maybe he just liked the feeling
of being in control. I think he finally grew out of the hyper stage and
now makes a pretty good hand on the flight line, servicing jet planes for
the Air Force.

Maybe the drugs did help instead of hinder in his case. And no doubt
there are many others who just couldn't function without some help. I know
many times I have wished for one of the pink or lavender pills when I felt
like killing everybody in sight about once a month. Pre-menstrual syndrome
is no joke. God knew what he was doing when he created husbands with gallons
of patience.

Dr. Levine worries about what is happening in our society when children
in increasing numbers are taking Ritalin. "What does that say about our
society…our future?" he asks.

Maybe our society needs to slow down and smell the roses. Do we really
need both parents working, three cars in the garage, a bedroom for every
child and dancing lessons twice a week? Could neighborhood kids play stickball
in the street until dusk, then chase fireflies instead of being harangued
by a T-ball coach until they are in tears?

Small towns are becoming havens for Moms and Dads who have had the "good
life" in the big city and want to get back down to earth. Their kids will
be much better off living close enough to walk to school, gathering at
a nearby basketball court to toss a few baskets, dropping a hook in the
lake to snag a perch or catfish _ or just sitting on the back porch and
watching a beautiful sunset.

I relate to the woman who, flustered by a computer virus, just had to
get out of the house. She took a walk, got close to Mother Nature, and
found herself calmed and refreshed enough to go back and conquer the problem.
I return to reality each evening when I tend my garden, water the flowers,
grub up some ugly desert shrub or pick up sytrofoam some kids strewed in
the alley.

God knows how much civilization we can stand. Instead of a little green
Prozac, try growing a big green squash plant to keep your sanity. And smell
the roses as you pass by.

Our View

Don't roll back the taxes, this year

Pecosites will have to choose between rolling back their school property
taxes and having the schools spend a surplus this year. The election is
scheduled for September.

State law requires that the district set its tax rate at a level that
will sustain the budget _ nothing more.

This year, because of the increased values of oil and gas properties,
the school district can get by on a tax rate of $1.18 per hundred in valuation.

The current tax rate is $1.50 per hundred.

But that is not the whole story.

The tax rate is also used by the state to calculate the amount of state
money that the district will receive in coming years.

By rolling back the tax Pecos will save a little this year on property
taxes. But it will lose a lot more than it gained in terms of state funding.

Moreover, there is no guarantee that oil and gas valuations will not
drop in coming months. This may be a one-time shot to pump a little extra
money into our schools.

Doing so will be painless. Most real property valuations have gone down
or at least remained the same recently. Pecosites will pay the same or
less this year as they did last. And the school district will have a little
extra money to work with.

If there is surplus next year, then rollback the tax rate. Pecos property
taxes have been too high for too long.

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